Melbourne , 13 January 2012 | tennis.com.au

The kids are set to take over Melbourne Park this Saturday as they hit the courts for their very own Australian Open experience at MLC Kids Tennis Day.

“Last year close to 2,000 registered for Kids Tennis Day and around 8,000 tennis fans attended,” Craig Tiley, Australian Open Tournament Director, said.

“This year we again have a great line-up of entertainment … kids aged 10-and-under can play tennis on the same courts as their Australian Open heroes and learn new skills as they try out Tennis Australia’s kids’ starter program, MLC Tennis Hot Shots.

“More than 5,000 participants have already confirmed their attendance, so to ensure your child does not miss out, jump online today and register at kidstennisday.tennis.com.au,” Tiley added.

Entry is free with gold coin donations to the Australian Tennis Foundation.

Entertainment includes high energy pop-artist Timomatic, and some well known Aussies will display their racquet skills alongside some of the biggest names in tennis in a fun exhibition match.

All the action will be live streamed on the big screen in Garden Square so everyone can enjoy the entertainment and soak up the world class atmosphere.

Other attractions include an appearance by Dorothy the Dinosaur, a showcase of the new-tennis fitness program Cardio Tennis and the chance to feel like a Grand Slam champion and be photographed with the Australian Open trophies.

The Kids Craft Tent, MLC Fan Zone, MLC Autograph Island and the Wilson Stringer’s Hut round out the off-court entertainment options.

“The motivation behind MLC Kids Tennis Day is to give kids a great tennis experience and have fun,” Tiley explained.

“MLC Tennis Hot Shots is a terrific grassroots program with modified equipment especially sized for children, such as low compression balls, smaller racquets and courts, to help promote an immediate sense of fun and achievement.

“We hope MLC Kids Tennis Day helps inspire the next generation to play tennis,” Tiley added.